Infuse It or Refuse It – Coffee Bourbon Liqueur

Written & Shared By Chuck Walker

When it comes to life in general, I am the type of person that would rather do a cannonball into the deep end, than hang out on the pool steps with arm floaties. Granted, sometimes this approach can leave one at the bottom of an empty pool with two broken legs, but when it works…well…it’s brilliant.

I wanted to use this philosophy with my first installment of Infuse It or Refuse It, so instead of tossing some cinnamon sticks into a bottle of Jim Beam, I decided to jump in and go big. After considerable searching, I chose an intriguing Coffee Bourbon Liqueur recipe I found on the web. “This is a sure bet,” I thought to myself. “After all, I love good whiskey and I had my blood replaced with coffee years ago.” So with a sense of confidence I had not felt since I invested my life savings in Enron Corporation, I laid out my implements of destruction and got busy creating my first infusion.   Here is the recipe:

Coffee Bourbon Liqueur

14 oz. Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky

1/3 cup Dark roast whole coffee beans

1/3 Vanilla bean split in half

1 tbsp. Dark brown sugar

I decided to use Maker’s Mark because it is a mellow “wheated” bourbon, and I thought it would serve nicely as a neutral canvas for the bold coffee flavors I was going to impose upon it. Truth be told, I had six bottles of the stuff in my cabinet and needed to thin the herd. Anyway…creating the infusion was a breeze. I took a 16 oz. mason jar, tossed in the coffee beans, the vanilla, the sugar, and filled the jar to the top with bourbon.   Once all of my ingredients were in place I screwed the top on, gave the jar a gentle swish to make sure everything was blended, and put it in the back of a dark cool cabinet in my liquor room.   I then stood motionless for three weeks staring at the cabinet door in anticipation. No…not really…that would be a bit weird…but I did check on the jar every other day or so and give it a gentle shake for good measure. I also wrote it a letter and sang to it occasionally, but I would categorize these activities as optional.

After three weeks of quiet time, less my occasional medley of acapella Bon Jovi hits, my experiment was ready to taste. The first thing that struck me when I opened up the jar was the aroma. The bourbon and coffee beans had created something that was eerily like Kahlua but much more intense. Encouraged by the rich nose, I strained my creation through a piece of folded cheesecloth, and eagerly embarked upon my highly caffeinated adventure.   Here are the results:

Straight up tasting (Possible 10 points):

For the first test, I poured a ½ ounce into a small snifter and took a healthy sip. Almost immediately I expected my face to do that melting wax thing, like in the first Indian Jones movie, but I was surprised to find my nose still firmly attached to my skull after I swallowed.   Though the aroma seemed a bit overpowering, I found the flavor to be not at all unpleasant…not great…but not unpleasant.   My general sense was that the coffee notes were too strong, and overpowered the whiskey a bit more than I would have preferred. Perhaps letting it rest two weeks versus three would bring about a better balance. That said, there are some nice things going on with this liqueur, and the flavors really speak to its potential in recipes and cocktails. Infuse It or Refuse It score – 6.

In a cocktail (Possible 10 points):

As soon as I tasted this liqueur I knew what had to be done. I jumped into my car, raced down to the liquor store, and purchased a bottle of Disaronno. When I returned to my house I descended into my laboratory and created the world’s first Kentucky Roca. Here is my recipe:

Chuck’s Kentucky Roca

1.5 oz. Coffee Bourbon Liqueur

1.5 oz. Disaronno

2 Dashes chocolate bitters

3 oz. Half and half

Dusting of fresh grated nutmeg

2-3 Whole coffee beans

Directions: Pour the liquid ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds (the shaker…not you). Strain into a martini glass, dust the top with fresh grated nutmeg, and garnish with 2-3 whole coffee beans.

Now I do not consider myself a mixologist, but I hit this one out of the park, across the street, down the block, through a nun’s convent, and into a pack of roving renegade clowns. Okay…the clowns and nuns are just wrong…I’m sorry. But anyway…the Coffee Bourbon Liqueur and Disaronno make a lovely pairing and the chocolate bitters and nutmeg give the drink a nice little spicy kick. The best part was crunching on the roasted coffee beans as I took my last sip. The bourbon and caffeine conspire to pack a really nice one-two punch as well. Drink three or four of these and you are guaranteed to sleep all night with your eyes open. Infuse It or Refuse It score – 8.

Versatility (Possible 10 points):

My wife and I had some very good friends up for the weekend, and the husband (we will call him Orville) is a like-minded bourbon enthusiast. I knew they were bringing a bunch of homemade bourbon balls, so I figured I would reciprocate with my own tasty creation. Plowing through the web, I found an interesting recipe for bourbon mocha milkshakes. It looked simple enough, so I gave it a try. Here it is:

Bourbon Mocha Milkshakes (1 serving)

2 cups Vanilla ice cream

3 oz. Coffee Bourbon Liqueur

Directions: Blend the liqueur and ice cream until liquefied. Pour the blended contents into a covered glass dish and put it in the freezer for at least 24 hours (Important Note: Make sure to pour the liquid into the dish before you cover it…). When frozen, scoop the velvety milk shake mixture into a martini glass and top with shaved chocolate and a sliced strawberry. Serve immediately.

I actually tested this a few days before our friends arrived, and it was so good I ran outside into the street and started screaming “woohoo!” at passing cars. Later the next day, when I got out of jail, I mixed up a larger batch for our guests and it was a real hit. This is a delicious dessert. The Coffee Bourbon Liqueur is at its absolute pinnacle when mixed with vanilla ice cream. It is….well…woohoo! Infuse It or Refuse It score – 9.

Final Verdict: With a total score of 23, the Coffee Bourbon Liqueur is a winner. Though the straight liqueur is a bit strong for my taste, this infusion has all kinds of potential in cocktails and desserts. It is a deliciously unique infusion that is guaranteed to spark your sense of creativity. Our suggestion is to infuse it for two weeks, taste it, and if you want more coffee flavor go an additional week. I would not, under any circumstance, let it sit over three weeks however. Also, be warned, this infusion is full of caffeine. Drinking this stuff straight makes Jägermeister and Red Bull shots seem like afternoon tea. If you don’t want to wake up at 3 a.m. running down the street…go easy. Infuse It or Refuse It Recommendation – Infuse It!